Presentation/Abstract Columbia University-Is Terahertz a Communication Waste Land or a Vibrant Frontier?

Electrical Engineering Distinguished Lectures

Monday, March 30, 2015 - 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Columbia University Morningside Campus CEPSR 414, Davis Auditorium

http://events.columbia.edu/event/electrical-engineering-distinguished-lectures-77668

Is Terahertz a Communication Waste Land or a Vibrant Frontier?

ABSTRACT The infamous Terahertz Gap represents frequency spectrum that ranges from 0.3 to 3THz (or 300 to 3000GHz). It lies between traditional microwave and infrared domains but remains untouchable via either electronic or photonic means. The conventional transit-time-limited electronic devices can hardly operate even at its lowest frequency; the band-gap-limited photonic devices on the other hand can only operate beyond its highest frequency. Since wavelengths range from 1000 to 100 μm, Terahertz signals tend to behave quasi-optically and are potentially instrumental for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. Those include high-data rate, short distance and secured wireless & wireline communications, telemetric and remote sensing based on high-resolution radar, spectrometer and imagers for intelligent traffic/landing control, safety/security screening and bio-medical/food/drug sensing, and analysis and controls. In this talk, we will discuss fundamental & technical challenges involved in building Terahertz systems and progress made recently at UCLA to overcome electronic/photonic barriers for realizing highly integrated (sub)-mm-Wave and Terahertz systems.   

BIO Mau-Chung Frank Chang, Professor University of California, Los Angeles Host: Professor Harish Krishnaswamy Electrical Engineering Distinguished Lectures Dr. Frank Chang is currently the Wintek Chair Professor and Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at UCLA. Before joining UCLA in 1997, he was the Assistant Director and Department Manager of the High Speed Electronics Laboratory at the Rockwell Science Center, Thousand Oaks, California (1983-1997). Throughout his career, his research has primarily focused on developing high-speed semiconductor devices and circuits for high-frequency and mixed-signal communication, radar, interconnect and imaging systems. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008 and Academia Sinica (Taiwan, ROC) in 2012. He is an IEEE Fellow and received the IEEE David Sarnoff Award in 2006 for developing and commercializing GaAs HBT power amplifiers for modern wireless communication systems (especially for cell phones).